Helping your child improve in spelling

Spelling can be a tricky skill to develop for some children. The sooner you support their learning in this area, the greater chance they have of becoming effective spellers and can communicate well with others in their writing.

Here are some helpful suggestions:

 Try having fun with spelling bees at home. Make it a game. Consider incorporating spelling activities into their daily routine.

 Many news agencies sell phonic charts which are handy to have at home. From time to time you can refer to them to help your child retain some basic phonetics. Phonics teaches spelling patterns and rules.

 Engage multiple senses in spelling practice. For example, with younger children have your child write words in sand or shaving cream to feel the shapes of the letters, or use magnetic letters to spell words on the fridge. Use art and craft activities to make up words perhaps in felt, paint etc.

 Teach your child to break down longer words into smaller, more manageable chunks. This can help them understand the structure of words and make spelling them easier.

 Play word games together that reinforce spelling skills, such as Scrabble, Boggle, or word search puzzles. These games make spelling practice fun and interactive.

 Encourage your child to read aloud regularly. Hearing words pronounced correctly can reinforce their spelling and help them recognize common spelling patterns.

 Have your child keep a spelling journal where they write down words they find challenging. Encourage them to revisit these words regularly and practice spelling them correctly.

 Offer praise and encouragement when your child makes progress in spelling. Celebrate their successes, no matter how small, to boost their confidence and motivation.

 Take advantage of spelling apps and online resources designed to help children practice spelling in a fun and engaging way. Many of these apps offer interactive games and activities tailored to different age levels.

 Spelling can be challenging for some children, so be patient and supportive as they learn. Avoid criticizing mistakes and instead focus on providing constructive feedback and encouragement.

 Try introducing one new word each week. This can be the spelling challenge and see how your child can learn that tricky word in a week.

Spelling is linked to speech, writing, and reading. The more you encourage your child to use language, the more confident they become in having a go with tricky words. Repetition has a lot to do with improving spelling. The more you practice spelling words, the greater retention you have and the easier recall of that word over time.

“If we spell well we communicate well”

— Gail J Smith

Encourage your child to write well

Some children find it difficult to write. There are ways we can help them and of course, the best way to help is to write ourselves. There are many intellectual, physiological and emotional benefits to writing. It goes hand in glove with reading and cannot be seen as the poor cousin. It is believed that writing has wonderful therapeutic benefits and gives a child a voice. Words disappear into the ether, but written words can remain forever.

Here are some ideas to help your child build up an interest in writing which is very much at the heart of education.

• Designate a special area in your home where your child can write comfortably. It could be a cozy corner with a desk or even just a designated cushion with a lap desk. Let them see that writing is encouraged in your home. Have plenty of writing materials hanging around.

• Make sure your child has access to various writing materials such as pencils, pens, markers, crayons, and different types of paper. Let them experiment with different tools. For young children chalk on the ground is great fun.

• Establish a regular time each day for writing. It could be before bedtime, after school, or during a quiet period on weekends. Consistency is key to forming good writing habits.

• Encourage your child to keep a journal where they can write about their thoughts, feelings, daily experiences, or even stories they make up. Journaling can be a great way for children to express themselves freely. Perhaps giving your child a diary could be a great gift and introduction to writing.

• Praise your child's writing efforts and celebrate their achievements, whether it's completing a story, writing neatly, or coming up with creative ideas. Display their work proudly or share it with family and friends.

• Let your child see you writing. Whether it's making a grocery list, writing emails, or working on a personal project, show them that writing is a valuable skill used in everyday life.

• Reading and writing go hand in hand. Encourage your child to read regularly and discuss the stories or information they encounter. Reading can inspire writing and improve vocabulary and language skills.

• Present your child with fun writing challenges, such as writing a poem, creating a comic strip, or crafting a short story with a specific theme or word count. Joining in with these activities will make all the difference to your child.

• Help your child understand the importance of writing by showing them how words can inform, entertain, persuade, and connect people. Encourage them to use their writing to express themselves and make a positive impact. Read sections of the newspaper to them that have an impact.

• Enjoy reading what they have written. Together you can talk about the content and purpose of writing. Let them read aloud some of your writing as well.

• Try suggesting to your child when they want to explain something that you would prefer they write it down for you to read. Sometimes an upset child can write down their feelings easier than talking about them.

• Writing is a concrete statement. It can be kept and treasured. Promote your child’s writing by displaying it on fridges etc.

‘Once your child writes down their thoughts, they are expressing to the world a deeper statement about themselves.’ - Gail J Smith

Eight Fun Ways to Enhance Handwriting Skills in Kids!

1. Artistic Doodles: Encourage your child to doodle creatively! Provide them with a dedicated sketchbook and a set of colourful markers or pens. Engaging in imaginative doodling exercises will help them develop better control and precision in their writing. It is also a fun activity that younger children especially enjoy. Take care to affirm their efforts as they progress through the stages of improving their writing.

2. Tracing Trails: Create fun tracing worksheets with their favourite characters or shapes. Use dotted lines for them to follow along and trace the letters or words. This activity reinforces muscle memory and fine motor skills essential for neat handwriting.

3. Sensory Writing: Make handwriting tactile and exciting by incorporating sensory materials like sand, rice, or shaving cream. Let your child practice writing letters in these materials, stimulating multiple senses for a more engaging learning experience. Children need to be tactile.

4. Storytime Calligraphy: Transform handwriting practice into storytelling adventures. Have your child copy short passages from their favourite storybooks or write their own tales in a beautiful font. This activity will inspire them to take pride in their penmanship. Use different pens and pencils, experimenting with shapes and colours.

5. Buy them a fancy book (perhaps leather bound) where their penmanship can be given full attention and value. Also, encourage them to handwrite thank you notes and to select the best paper and words making them quite a self-expressive gift.

6. Letter Formation Relay: Set up a relay race where each team member writes a letter on a whiteboard before passing it on. Use timers to create a friendly competition and motivate your child to form letters accurately and efficiently.

7. Digital Drawing Fun: Utilise drawing apps or interactive pen tablets to merge technology with handwriting practice. Children can trace letters on the screen, experiment with different fonts, and enjoy instant feedback that enhances their handwriting skills.

8.   Have fun with the children practising their best signature. Display them on the fridge. Encourage them to keep improving and talk about how that signature symbolises them.

Finally, patience and positive reinforcement are key when teaching children to improve their handwriting. Development can be slow but as they mature you will notice major differences. By making the process enjoyable and creative, you'll motivate them to develop excellent penmanship naturally! Let them see that you are making quite a statement when you send a written note to people. Let them see that their handwriting is all about them.

Our learning increases as we handwrite better. We own it, we created it. Therefore keep up with handwriting so that our memory keeps growing and our personal statement to others is clear.

-Gail J Smith